A. Whenever business is being conducted in or on any premises without a required business privilege license or if a licensed business has violated one or more provisions of the Code of the City which relate to the conduct of the business, the Finance Department or any City official authorized to issue citations may issue a cease operations order directing that business activity to cease immediately until the required business privilege license is obtained.
B. The cease operations order shall describe the business that is being conducted without the required business privilege license and shall state that such business activity and any other business activity that requires a business privilege license must cease until the required license is obtained.
C. The cease operations order shall be posted at every entrance to the premises in conspicuous place clearly visible to the public and shall remain posted until removed by the Finance Department following compliance with its terms.
D. The Finance Department shall promptly notify the Department of Police of the issuance of every cease operations order. The Police Department may upon the request of the Finance Department render assistance in the enforcement of any cease operations order and shall have the right to enter the premises for such purpose.
E. Prohibited conduct. No person with knowledge of a cease operations order shall:
(1) Continue to conduct any business for which a business privilege license is required in or on any premises for which a cease operations order has been issued.
(2) Remove, damage or deface any cease operations order.
(3) Resist or interfere with any inspection or other official in the performance of their duties or the enforcement of any provision of this section.
F. Fees.
(1) Business privilege license in response to cease operations order. If a cease operations order is issued and a business privilege license obtained, the fee for said business privilege license may be subject to an additional penalty fee equal to the cost of the normal business privilege license fee.
(2) Removal of cease operations order. Upon compliance with a cease operations order by obtaining of a business privilege license and any other terms set forth thereon, prior to removal of a cease operations order a fee in the amount established by the Fee Ordinance of the City of Reading.
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5. Editor's Note: See Ch. 212, Fees.